The Ultimate Vancouver Brunch Guide: Joe Fortes

DH Vancouver StaffApr 17, 2015 10:00 am

We’re taking a tasty tour of Vancouver’s many brunches to create The Ultimate Vancouver Brunch Guide. This week we’re at Joe Fortes.

Vancouver’s iconic seafood grill and chop house Joe Fortes has become somewhat of an institution in the city’s downtown area, thanks to its reliably good menu, professional and personable service and warm ambience.

Chicken & waffles (Joe Fortes)

Located on Thurlow Street (just off Robson) and open for weekend brunch on both Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. onwards, Joe Fortes offers its patrons a huge selection of brunch and lunch plates to happily feast upon.

With a particular interest in seafood and steak, brunch at Joe Fortes not only features a range of classic brunch favourites like: chicken and waffles ($18.95); steak and eggs ($21.95); bacon, eggs and sausage ($15.95), but also a myriad of tempting seafood dishes.

Atlantic lobster benedict (Joe Fortes)

Seafood dishes, which include: fresh oysters from B.C., the East Coast and West Coast; crispy fried oysters ($14.95); New England clam chowder ($9.95); crab and corn cakes ($14.95); lobster and shrimp roll ($19.95); seafood skillet ($18.95), and the Atlantic lobster Benedict ($21.95) – one of the restaurant’s most popular brunch time items.

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With a generous serve of lobster, a creamy mushroom and leek white wine sauce, two perfectly runny poached eggs and a buttery hollandaise topping it’s no wonder this dish is such a hit. Moreover, it comes with a lightly toasted house-made English muffin and a mound of crunchy potato bites.

No matter what main dish is ordered; one thing is for certain, brunch at Joe Fortes will fill you up! The brunch plates, like their lunch and dinner counter parts take their lead from American sized portions. Needless to say, the meals are plentiful.

Crab & corn cakes (Jess Fleming / Vancity Buzz)

In spite of the portion sizes, you’ll still want to leave room for dessert. Offering Tiramisu, Tahitian vanilla crème brûleé, New York cheesecake, Joe’s chocolate sin cake (with ganache, brandy and chocolate brittle), key lime pie and more, the dessert menu will have you in tizzy over which one to order, as they all look so incredibly good.

Thankfully, half portions are available for a few of the items, so if you’re after just a taste or would prefer to sample a few things you can. Another way to round the meal off (or begin with for that matter) is to order one of Joe’s specialty coffees and a slice of Joe’s coffee cake, which changes from week to week.

Crème brûleé (Jess Fleming / Vancity Buzz)

In addition to coffee, the restaurant also pours bubbles and sparkling cocktails, which are best enjoyed on the restaurant’s rooftop patio. Overlooking Thurlow and Robson Streets, Joe Fortes’ sun drenched patio boasts a gorgeous garden and living green wall, which makes it a wonderful place to escape to for a weekend brunch as we head into patio season.

Of course anyone who’s been to Joe Fortes before knows that the restaurant’s main dining room with its old-school charm, wooden and brass finishes, large staircase and horseshoe oyster bar is pretty spectacular too!

Joes Fortes’ patio (Jess Fleming / Vancity Buzz)

Superb food, fresh and top quality ingredients, warm hospitality and a delightful dining space both inside and out make Joe Fortes a great place to grab brunch in downtown Vancouver on the weekend whether the sun is shining or not.